News and information from our partners

Fire threatens homes, blocks freeway Friday

Photo by Mark GibsonA fireman adjusts a hose on the east end of a grass fire that closed Interstate 84 and threatened several structures Friday evening. Photograph was taken from the access road to the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center.

Fire crews mop up a grass fire along Interstate 84 Friday night, viewed from across the highway at the Discovery Center.

A GRASS FIRE sparked by a vehicle losing its wheel as it traveled eastbound on I-84 threatened homes and caused the highway to be closed in both directions Friday night.

Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue called in Dallesport, Dufur, Mosier, the U.S. Forest Service Scenic Area and the Oregon Department of Forestry to aid in fighting the fire, said Capt. Fred Coleman.

“The reason we called in the resources was that we were concerned with the high winds,” Coleman said. The fire also threatened the Golf Course Apartments, a trailer house and a shed, which sustained minor damage.